One of the most senior jobs in Jewish officialdom will soon become vacant as Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky – who turned seventy last month – is expected to retire after nine years in the post.
By tradition, his replacement will be appointed by Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who chooses a candidate that is then approved by the agency's board of governors.
This gives the leaders of the large Jewish federations of North America, who are the agency's principle funders, an ostensible veto on the PM's choice.
By all accounts, Mr Netanyahu has been occupied by other matters – not least mounting corruption allegations against him – to give the matter much thought in recent weeks.
A name was expected to be announced this week during a board of governors meeting in Zichron Yaakov, but as no name has emerged, it may now have to wait until the board's next full meeting in June.
The delay has led some candidates to try and use the period to lobby for themselves, with none being considered a front-runner.
The JC considers the runners and riders below:
Eliezer 'Moody' Zandberg
Mr Netanyahu’s preferred choice originally, but Mr Zandberg is out of the running. A former Israeli minister and world chairman of Keren Hayesod, he has been close to Netanyahu for years and is a seasoned macher.
But he was reluctant to take this more onerous role at the Jewish Agency and, in September 2017, was questioned by police as a suspect in influence-peddling in the “submarines case”, in which other confidants of the prime minster are also implicated.
His name is now out of the running.
Yuval Steinitz
The job nearly always goes to a political ally of the prime minister and Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz is one of two names at the top of that list (the other is Benny Kasriel, mayor of the Maale Adumim settlement in the West Bank).
Mr Steinitz wants the job, and could conceivably pass muster, but he could also find himself soon a suspect in one of the corruption cases surrounding Benjamin Netanyahu.
Benny Kasriel
The job nearly always goes to a political ally of the prime minister and Benny Kasriel, mayor of the Maale Adumim settlement in the West Bank, is one of two names at the top of that list (the other is Energy Minister Yuvaz Steinitz).
Of the two, Kasriel has more clout among Likud members, and is considered a heavyweight candidate, but the mayor of a settlement would be a hard sell to the American grandees, not all of whom share his right-wing politics.
Michael Oren
Deputy minister from the centrist Kulanu party and a former ambassador and historian, Mr Oren is one of the non-Likudnik politicians being mentioned as palatable to the Americans.
Mr Oren is putting his name about, but he is not held in high regard by Mr Netanyahu.
Labour MKs
Former party leader Isaac Herzog and Nachman Shai, who previously worked as the main representative of the American Jewish federations in Israel, as possibilities.
But Mr Netanyahu would have to be really stuck to go for a member of a rival party.
Ron Prosor
One name being mentioned frequently outside politics will be familiar to British readers: Israel's former ambassador to the UK and the UN, Ron Prosor.
He has the credentials and would love the job, but will get the appointment only if Mr Netanyahu can't find a politician to his liking.
Rivka Karmi
Professor Rivka Karmi, president of Ben Gurion University, is a possible candidate to respond to calls by some influential members of the agency's board of governors for the first chairwoman.
However, she is an academic and lacks much of the political influence or experience needed for the Jewish Agency role.
Johanna Arbib
Businesswoman Johanna Arbib, currently president of the Jerusalem Foundation, emerged this week as a surprising female candidate.
Ms Arbib's name was reported in Haaretz to have been brought up by the prime minister in a meeting he had with a few agency leaders last week.
While she has the experience, appointing a non-Israeli would be an unprecedented move. If there were to be a diaspora nominee, he or she would be expected to come from the United States, not a small Italian community.
Some insiders believe Mr Netanyahu put her name forward only to have it rejected, and giving him more leeway to appoint someone he really wants.
